>The theory of mind difficulties seem to be universal among such individuals.
>A large number of studies have demonstrated that children with Autism have difficulties in shifting their perspective to judge what someone else might thing, instead simply reporting what they themselves know. In essence, children with autism lack the emotional connection with other people. Their ability to infer others' feelings is devoid. From Descatres' Babychildren with autism suffer from mind blindness.
>Emotions can be caused by situations (such as falling over, causes you to cry). But emotions can also be caused by mental states such as desires and beliefs.
>One study of children with autism investigated the ability to draw pictures of unreal or impossible objects. (such as two headed people), and found that children with autism were either reluctant or less able to produce such drawings. Also, when shown basic shapes such as a circle or triangle that was given an emotion the autistic child did not understand. They only saw a circle or triangle.
Eugen Bleuler (1857-1939), a Swiss psychiatrist, first termed “autism” but applied it to adult schizophrenia. In 1943, the term was redefined by Leo Kanner (1894-1981) who dissociated autism from schizophrenia to create the modern understanding of the disorder.b
Autism affects one in every 150 children born in the United States.c
If one identical twin is diagnosed with autism, the other twin has about 90% chance of develop an autistic disorder.f
Mutations on chromosome 16 have been tied to autism. The glitch is in a DNA region that contains “morpheus” genes, or genes which historically have changed very rapidly as humans evolved. In other words, the same method that helped evolve human intelligence may contribute to autism.b
There is no blood test, no scan, and no image that can detect autism. Diagnosis relies on behavioral observation and screening.f
“Naughty Auties” is a virtual resource center for those with autism.i
Environmental factors that could trigger predisposed genes to mutate and cause autism are vast and could include certain drugs, chemicals, heavy metal exposure, antibiotics, extensive television viewing, flame retardant, or infections during pregnancy.f
rain
A study suggests that counties with higher precipitation levels have higher autism rates
A study from three states suggests that counties with higher precipitation levels have higher autism rates. Higher precipitation rates might carry more pollutants, decreased vitamin D levels, and increased television watching that could trigger autism.h
Across a mere 10-year period—1993-2003—statistics from the U.S. Department of Education revealed a 657% increase in the nationwide rate of autism. Researchers debate whether autism rates are increasing or if broadening definitions of autism allow more people to be diagnosed
Autism is more common than childhood cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.j
Researchers have found that the area of the brain called the amygdala was on average 13% larger in young children with autism compared with children without autism.c
More and more doctors and researchers are referring to autism as autisms, because each child’s case is different, as are each child’s causes and treatments.d
In 1998, a theory emerged that the MMR vaccine caused autism. Specifically, the theory argued that the vaccine lingered in the gut, causing gastrointestinal problems which led to autism. This very small study was discredited and debunked. In fact, while the rate of MMR vaccinates has remained constant, the rate of autism diagnoses has continued to soar.d
The Obama administration earmarked $211 million for autism research. The president also advocates universal screening for all infants for autism disorders, as well as rescreening for all 2-year-olds.k
Approximately 67 million people worldwide are affected by autism.c
Any child younger than 3 years of age with developmental delays qualifies to receive services through Early Intervention, a government-mandated program that provides services to eligible children. Services are free and may include speech and language instruction as well as occupational and physical therapy.d
In 2008, several autistic children from different families were linked to a single sperm donor called “Donor X.”e
Many scholars believe autism is a combination of genetic vulnerability that is triggered by some kind of social or toxic influence.f
One in 10 extremely premature infants tested positive for autism. Children who are born more than three months early have double the expected rate of autism.g
Other disabilities that fall within the Autism Spectrum category include Asperger’s syndrome, PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified), Rett Syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.b
autistic girl
Autism is the fastest growing disability in the United States
Autism is the fastest growing disability in the United States.d
As early as infancy, a baby can begin to show the three hallmark features of autism: communication challenges, impaired social interactions, and repetitive behavior.c
Many children with autism have a reduced sensitivity to pain but may be extra sensitive to sound, touch, or other sensory stimulation—which may contribute to a reluctance to being cuddled or hugged.c
Children with autism may experience coexisting conditions, such as fragile X-syndrome, epileptic seizures, tuberous sclerosis, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and ADD.g
Scientists are unclear as to why about 20% to 30% of autistic children develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood.b
Girls with autistic symptoms may be suffering from Rett Syndrome. The syndrome affects mainly females, because male fetuses with the disorder rarely survive to term. Development is typical until 6-18 months, when language and motor milestones are lost.d
Scientists suggest that people with autism may have abnormal levels of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain, which may have resulted in the disruption of normal brain development early in fetal development.b
Research suggests that having an older father may increase a child’s risk of autism. Children born to men 40 years old or older were almost six times more likely to have an autism spectrum disorder than those born to men younger than 30 years old. Maternal age seems to have little effect on autism risk.d
Researchers recommend autistic testing if a baby doesn’t babble or coo by 12 months, doesn’t point or wave by 12 months, doesn’t say single words by 16 months, doesn’t say two-word phrases by 24 months, or loses previously acquired language or social skills at any age.f
Chelation therapy, which removes mercury from the body, is a popular alternative treatment for autism, though it has not been proven to be a safe or effective treatment.d
In families with one autistic child, the risk of having a second child with the disorder is approximately 5%, or one in 20. This is greater than the risk for the general population.c
Some cases of autism may be associated with a family history of manic depression.g
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are guaranteed free, appropriate public education under federal laws.d
Though children with autism have higher rates of constipation and eating issues (such as repetitive eating), they do not have a higher incidence of gastrointestinal problems than other children, quelling a decade-long controversy.l
Autism was initially called “Early Infantile Autism” or “Kanner’s Syndrome.”f
Autism was added as a special education in 1991 and now is the sixth most common classified disability in the U.S.d
autistic boy
Boys are diagnosed with autism more than girls
In the United States, one in 98 boys are diagnosed with autism, and 24,000 people are diagnosed with autism for the first time every year.c
Researchers are unclear why boys are diagnosed with autism more than girls, but some think that the problem lies with the X chromosome, of which boys only have one.g
Scholars and parents debate whether autism is a disability or whether it should be considered merely a different kind of personality.d
Divorce rates are high in families with an autistic child. Researchers suggest reducing stress by ensuring an autistic child receives appropriate health care, setting aside time for a spouse, and creating a support system with other families of children with autism.j
Mothers who have autoimmune diseases such as type1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and celiac disease have up to three times a greater risk for having a child with autism.a
Children who are born underweight or premature may have a higher risk for autism.j
From the Greek autos meaning “self,” autism literally means “alone.”g
According to the Journal of the American Association of Pediatrics, mothers of autistic children maintain remarkable strengths in creating parent-child relationships and social support.d
Researchers have noted that infants who had early accelerated head growth were at risk for autism.c
Dogs have been shown to improve autistic children’s quality of life, independence, and safety. The presence of a trained dog can reduce aggressive behavior, calm the child, and serve as a link to the child’s community
Theory of mind test results for autistic children
Mental-physical distinction
Normal child at 3-4 can tell the difference between a mental event (thinking about a dog) vs a physical event (holding a dog). Test asks children which person can perform an action with the dog. Autistic children cannot make this distinction even with a mental age of 4.
Understanding the function of the brain
Normal child of 3-4 can tell that the brain has functions for physical things and mental things like thinking, dreaming, etc. Autistic child recognizes physical functions but fails to acknowledge mental ones
Appearance reality distinction
Normal children at 4 show awareness of an object having a dual identity, such as a candle shaped like an apple, while autistic children at the same age will only mention it as one or the other in spontaneous conversation.
First-order false belief tasks
Normal 4 year-old children can tell when other people think something different about a situation, are aware that other people know something else. Autistic children have trouble judging what other people think and can only report what they know.
"Seeing leads to knowing" tests
3 year-old children normally can infer that one person who looks in a box knows what is in it while one person who just touches the box will not know. Autistic children will randomly choose either character as the one who knows.
Tests of recognizing mental state words
Normal children can pick out words that relate to mental events such as: "think", "dream", "pretend", etc. As opposed to words like "eat" and "run" while autistic children fail to pick these words as often. They also use fewer of these words in spontaneous speech descriptions of images.
Spontaneous pretend play test
Autistic children tend to have lower rates of spontaneously playing pretend.
Test of understanding of cause of complex emotions
Normal children of 4-6 understand the 3 causes of emotion: "situation, desire, belief," while autistic children have trouble understanding how mental states cause emotion.
Test of inferring a person's intentions from gaze direction
Children of 4 can infer that the object a person is looking at is the object of that person's desire, but autistic children can only see what they are looking at while inferring nothing.
Test of being able to monitor own intentions
A test where children are asked to choose an intended target to shoot at while shooting, then when the outcome is fixed where they either hit it or not, normal children of 4 will say which target they meant to hit while autistic children will change to the actual outcome.
Test of deception
Normal children of 4 can recognize and practice deception while autistic children have trouble being deceptive and recognizing when they are being deceived.
Test of understanding sarcasm, metaphor, jokes and irony
Autistic children have deficits in subtle mindreading skills. Children 3-4 normally tell a researcher they are joking when they say a cup is a shoe, while autistic children simply state that the cup is in fact not a shoe but a cup.
Test of pragmatics
Autistic children have difficulty understanding when the answer to a question is irrelevant and when a person makes a faux pas.
Test of imagination
Autistic children are reluctant or otherwise unable to draw impossible objects such as a two-headed person.
Correlation with real-life social skills
Frith and colleagues did a correlation study and found that the theory of mind skills results have validity to real-world behaviors in autistic children.
Second-order false belief tests
Understanding embedded mental states, the thought within a thought. Correspond to a mental age of 6. High functioning autistic children can pass first-order tests, and some even can pass second-order tests by their teens. They may have trouble with even higher order tests like, double-bluffing and complex expression in the eyes.
Autism
Pervasive developmental disorder - autism; Autistic spectrum disorder
Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Autism is a physical condition linked to abnormal biology and chemistry in the brain. The exact causes of these abnormalities remain unknown, but this is a very active area of research. There are probably a combination of factors that lead to autism. Genetic factors seem to be important. For example, identical twins are much more likely than fraternal twins or siblings to both have autism. Similarly, language abnormalities are more common in relatives of autistic children. Chromosomal abnormalities and other nervous system (neurological) problems are also more common in families with autism.
A number of other possible causes have been suspected, but not proven. They involve:
Diet
Digestive tract changes
Mercury poisoning
The body's inability to properly use vitamins and minerals
Vaccine sensitivity
AUTISM AND VACCINES
Many parents are worried that some vaccines are not safe and may harm their baby or young child. They may ask their doctor or nurse to wait, or even refuse to have the vaccine. However, it is important to also think about the risks of not having the vaccination.
Some people believe that the small amount of mercury (called thimerosal) that is a common preservative in multidose vaccines causes autism or ADHD. However, studies have NOT shown this risk to be true.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, and The Institute of Medicine (IOM) agree that no vaccine or component of any vaccine is responsible for the number of children who are currently being diagnosed with autism. They conclude that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks.
All of the routine childhood vaccines are available in single-dose forms that do not contain added mercury.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website provides further information.
This is a link to the Natural Institute of Mental Healths page on Autism http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-developmental-disorders/index.shtml
I relized that somehow i never posted anything last week, or I did post and it wouldnt save. I honestly i dont know. So when i read this article I couldnt help but think about how many people just lump Autism into one disease, when acutally there is a great spectreum and autism shows up in several different ways.
"Autisim disorders also come under the heading of autistic spectrum disorders. A closely related disorder would be, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, which would involve just how well a person is able to use the information that they receive from their senses. Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Autism, as well as Asperger's Syndrome, have been found to be closely related and in many cases have been found to overlap each other. While still subject to much debate, there are some people who believe that there might be two separate scenarios for the timeline for the onset of regular autisim, these would be early infantile autisim and regressive autisim. Early infantile autisim would be present at the time of childbirth, and regressive autisim would begin between the ages of 18 months and 36 months. http://www.answers-about-autism.info/what-are-the-different-forms-of-autisim.html
>A large number of studies have demonstrated that children with Autism have difficulties in shifting their perspective to judge what someone else might thing, instead simply reporting what they themselves know. In essence, children with autism lack the emotional connection with other people. Their ability to infer others' feelings is devoid. From Descatres' Babychildren with autism suffer from mind blindness.
>Emotions can be caused by situations (such as falling over, causes you to cry). But emotions can also be caused by mental states such as desires and beliefs.
>One study of children with autism investigated the ability to draw pictures of unreal or impossible objects. (such as two headed people), and found that children with autism were either reluctant or less able to produce such drawings. Also, when shown basic shapes such as a circle or triangle that was given an emotion the autistic child did not understand. They only saw a circle or triangle.
Facts about Autism:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/facts-about-autism
Did you know ...
46 Random Facts About . . .
Autism
http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/09/21_autism.htmlTheory of mind test results for autistic children
Mental-physical distinction
Normal child at 3-4 can tell the difference between a mental event (thinking about a dog) vs a physical event (holding a dog). Test asks children which person can perform an action with the dog. Autistic children cannot make this distinction even with a mental age of 4.
Understanding the function of the brain
Normal child of 3-4 can tell that the brain has functions for physical things and mental things like thinking, dreaming, etc. Autistic child recognizes physical functions but fails to acknowledge mental ones
Appearance reality distinction
Normal children at 4 show awareness of an object having a dual identity, such as a candle shaped like an apple, while autistic children at the same age will only mention it as one or the other in spontaneous conversation.
First-order false belief tasks
Normal 4 year-old children can tell when other people think something different about a situation, are aware that other people know something else. Autistic children have trouble judging what other people think and can only report what they know.
"Seeing leads to knowing" tests
3 year-old children normally can infer that one person who looks in a box knows what is in it while one person who just touches the box will not know. Autistic children will randomly choose either character as the one who knows.
Tests of recognizing mental state words
Normal children can pick out words that relate to mental events such as: "think", "dream", "pretend", etc. As opposed to words like "eat" and "run" while autistic children fail to pick these words as often. They also use fewer of these words in spontaneous speech descriptions of images.
Spontaneous pretend play test
Autistic children tend to have lower rates of spontaneously playing pretend.
Test of understanding of cause of complex emotions
Normal children of 4-6 understand the 3 causes of emotion: "situation, desire, belief," while autistic children have trouble understanding how mental states cause emotion.
Test of inferring a person's intentions from gaze direction
Children of 4 can infer that the object a person is looking at is the object of that person's desire, but autistic children can only see what they are looking at while inferring nothing.
Test of being able to monitor own intentions
A test where children are asked to choose an intended target to shoot at while shooting, then when the outcome is fixed where they either hit it or not, normal children of 4 will say which target they meant to hit while autistic children will change to the actual outcome.
Test of deception
Normal children of 4 can recognize and practice deception while autistic children have trouble being deceptive and recognizing when they are being deceived.
Test of understanding sarcasm, metaphor, jokes and irony
Autistic children have deficits in subtle mindreading skills. Children 3-4 normally tell a researcher they are joking when they say a cup is a shoe, while autistic children simply state that the cup is in fact not a shoe but a cup.
Test of pragmatics
Autistic children have difficulty understanding when the answer to a question is irrelevant and when a person makes a faux pas.
Test of imagination
Autistic children are reluctant or otherwise unable to draw impossible objects such as a two-headed person.
Correlation with real-life social skills
Frith and colleagues did a correlation study and found that the theory of mind skills results have validity to real-world behaviors in autistic children.
Second-order false belief tests
Understanding embedded mental states, the thought within a thought. Correspond to a mental age of 6. High functioning autistic children can pass first-order tests, and some even can pass second-order tests by their teens. They may have trouble with even higher order tests like, double-bluffing and complex expression in the eyes.
Autism
Pervasive developmental disorder - autism; Autistic spectrum disorderAutism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Autism is a physical condition linked to abnormal biology and chemistry in the brain. The exact causes of these abnormalities remain unknown, but this is a very active area of research. There are probably a combination of factors that lead to autism.Genetic factors seem to be important. For example, identical twins are much more likely than fraternal twins or siblings to both have autism. Similarly, language abnormalities are more common in relatives of autistic children. Chromosomal abnormalities and other nervous system (neurological) problems are also more common in families with autism.
A number of other possible causes have been suspected, but not proven. They involve:
- Diet
- Digestive tract changes
- Mercury poisoning
- The body's inability to properly use vitamins and minerals
- Vaccine sensitivity
AUTISM AND VACCINESMany parents are worried that some vaccines are not safe and may harm their baby or young child. They may ask their doctor or nurse to wait, or even refuse to have the vaccine. However, it is important to also think about the risks of not having the vaccination.
Some people believe that the small amount of mercury (called thimerosal) that is a common preservative in multidose vaccines causes autism or ADHD. However, studies have NOT shown this risk to be true.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, and The Institute of Medicine (IOM) agree that no vaccine or component of any vaccine is responsible for the number of children who are currently being diagnosed with autism. They conclude that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks.
All of the routine childhood vaccines are available in single-dose forms that do not contain added mercury.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website provides further information.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002494/
This is a great short video!
Robert Seyfarth: Theory of Mind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDtjLSa50uk
This is a link to the Natural Institute of Mental Healths page on Autism
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-developmental-disorders/index.shtml
I relized that somehow i never posted anything last week, or I did post and it wouldnt save. I honestly i dont know. So when i read this article I couldnt help but think about how many people just lump Autism into one disease, when acutally there is a great spectreum and autism shows up in several different ways.
"Autisim disorders also come under the heading of autistic spectrum disorders. A closely related disorder would be, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, which would involve just how well a person is able to use the information that they receive from their senses. Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Autism, as well as Asperger's Syndrome, have been found to be closely related and in many cases have been found to overlap each other.
While still subject to much debate, there are some people who believe that there might be two separate scenarios for the timeline for the onset of regular autisim, these would be early infantile autisim and regressive autisim. Early infantile autisim would be present at the time of childbirth, and regressive autisim would begin between the ages of 18 months and 36 months.
http://www.answers-about-autism.info/what-are-the-different-forms-of-autisim.html